Best Sauces To Serve Fish With
Fried fish is delicious on many levels, but it’s always better to pair it with a good dipping sauce for fried fish. A good sauce for fish can elevate the whole dish and make you crave it even more.
But what’s essential when making fish dipping sauce is to choose the one that’s the best for the fish in question; the one that will complement the flavors and make everything even better. A good sauce for fish doesn’t have to be complicated; there are many easy sauces that you can whip up in a few minutes. A classic sauce for fish is sometimes enough, while other times, you’d want to make something that’s a bit special. However, whatever you plan to make, you should always use the best and the freshest ingredients to have a super tasty sauce for fish.
The Best Dipping Sauce for Fried Fish
Many sauces can go incredibly with fried fish, and we have our favorites. We decided to share with you four easy sauces that can be used for drizzling over fish and as fish dipping sauces.
The best four fish dipping sauces that you need to try:
- Dijon mustard sauce
- Fresh herb salsa
- Thai curry paste sauce
- Harissa paste sauce
Dijon Mustard Sauce
We’ll start our list with a classic sauce for fish, a Dijon mustard sauce. It’s one of the easy sauces but extremely tasty. You can make this sauce ahead of time and serve it as a dipping sauce for fried fish or drizzle it over your meal.
The amount of ingredients depends on whether you want to use every bit of sauce at once or store it later. For this sauce for fish, you’ll need Dijon mustard, olive oil, and fresh lemon juice. Additionally, you’ll want to add freshly chopped parsley and season everything with freshly ground black pepper and salt. Whisk everything up, serve as a sauce for fish, or store in a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Fresh Herb Salsa
Another fish dipping sauce that falls into easy sauces is salsa. A fresh herb salsa goes incredibly well with fried fish, and it can be considered a classic sauce for fish. The freshness of the salsa complements the fried fish very well and makes the whole dish lighter.
There are a few different salsas that you can pair with your fried fish, and it’s up to you if you’re going to follow the recipes or be creative and make up your own. Salsa Verde is a classic, and you can make it with fresh chili peppers, cilantro, onions, and tomatillos. If you add parsley, olive oil, and vinegar, you’ll get Chimichurri, another great dipping sauce for fried fish.
When making any type of salsa, make sure that the ingredients are as fresh as possible because that can influence the final taste of the whole dish.
If you are in a hurry, you can make the salsa with the help of a blender or chop everything roughly with a knife. Remember that you don’t want the salsa to be highly runny or look like a puree.
Thai Curry Paste Sauce
If you want a unique dipping sauce for fried fish and something more interesting, you should try a Thai curry paste-based sauce for fish. This fish dipping sauce is spicy enough, creamy, and goes perfectly with any type of fried fish. Don’t worry if you don’t like extreme heat because, in this sauce, the heat is balanced with the sweetness of the coconut milk. And believe us, coconut milk goes heavenly with fried fish.
The sauce is made in a pan, and you’ll want first to sauté some shallots in a bit of oil. The star of this sauce is Thai curry paste, and you can use the one you like; it can be green or red. And the ingredient that will balance everything out is coconut milk, and you should use the unsweetened one. The sauce should simmer on low heat, and once you try it, season it with freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste. Once you serve this dipping sauce for fish, you can squeeze a bit of lime juice on top of it and sprinkle roughly chopped cilantro.
Harissa Paste Sauce
Harissa is a spicy condiment from North Africa, a favorite of many who enjoy a spicy and hot kick. And if you want that kick when eating fried fish, you should make a Harissa fish dipping sauce. It’s not a classic sauce for fish, but it will be your next favorite one. Harissa is a paste made of paprika, chili peppers, and oil. You can even use it as a marinade, but it’s better as a dipping sauce for fried fish.
For the best sauce for fish, you should sauté shallots in a bit of oil until they’re soft. Add the Harissa paste to taste, depending on how spicy you like it. After a minute, add a can of whole peeled tomatoes, and after a few minutes, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. You can add sun-dried tomatoes and garlic for extra flavor and sauté them alongside the shallots. Leave the sauce to simmer on low heat, and once it thickens, it’s ready to be your new favorite dipping sauce for fish.
Additional Advice for Tasty Fried Fish
A good sauce can elevate the whole dining experience, but you can’t expect a fish dipping sauce to save the dish if the fish is not prepared the right way; for you to enjoy the full taste and fried fish delight, you need to prepare and fry the meat properly.
We’ll share a few tips with you on how to prepare your fish for ultimate success.
If you are using frozen fish, the first rule is to defrost it properly. To avoid any sort of contamination, avoid letting the fish sit on your counter, instead place it in the refrigerator and let it defrost slowly. It means that you shouldn’t hurry up the process and take it out of the freezer way ahead of time.
No matter what technique you use to prepare it, the key to tasty fish is to season it well. Once the fish is defrosted, you need to season it. For that, use sea salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides and let it rest for a bit. If you want to take it to the next level, you can add some freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest for a simple marinade. You can also be creative with the marinade and do something even more extra; just be sure that the ingredients you’re using for the marinade are compatible with the sauce you plan to make.
And remember, when you are serving your fried fish dish, always do it with some lime wedges or lemon if you don’t have lime. It will make everything taste even better.
The Best Fish Dipping Sauce
Here at Stiltsville Fish Bar, we are proud to say that we serve our fish dishes with incredible sauces carefully paired with every fish. We invite you to visit us in the heart of the Sunset Harbor neighborhood to experience the outstanding flavors of seafood we have to offer you. We are excited to host you.
